Natural Resources Defense Council v. California Department of Transportation

96 F.3d 420 (1996)

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Natural Resources Defense Council v. California Department of Transportation

United States Court of Appeals for the Ninth Circuit
96 F.3d 420 (1996)

  • Written by Tammy Boggs, JD

Facts

Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) and other parties (collectively, NRDC) (plaintiffs) filed a citizen suit in district court against the California Department of Transportation (Caltrans) and its director, James Van Lobel Sels (defendants) claiming that Caltrans was not in compliance with a Clean Water Act (CWA) permit. Caltrans and Van Lobel Sels moved to dismiss the action for lack of subject-matter jurisdiction, asserting immunity under the Eleventh Amendment. The court dismissed all claims against Caltrans as an arm of the state. The court also dismissed claims for retroactive monetary relief against Van Lobel Sels. However, the court denied the motion as to NRDC’s claim for injunctive relief against Van Lobel Sels. Thereafter, the court entered a permanent injunction against Van Lobel Sels requiring compliance with the CWA. Van Lobel Sels appealed, raising the sole issue of whether he was correctly subjected to suit for NRDC’s claim for injunctive relief under the CWA.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Hall, J.)

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